Field of the Invention
This invention relates to improvements in a vehicle cover. More particularly, the present channeled retractable vehicle cover creates vehicle cover that has accordion channels. The cover can be expanded and retracted to cover a vehicle.
Description of Related Art including information disclosed under 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98.
Many people live in houses apartment or other dwellings that do not have a garage or the person may not have room in their garage and must park a vehicle outside. There is a need for a vehicle cover that can be placed in an outside area and can be quickly deployed to cover a vehicle to provide protection. A number of patents and or publications have been made to address these issues. Exemplary examples of patents and or publication that try to address this/these problem(s) are identified and discussed below.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,438,158 issued Apr. 15, 1969 to D. F. Kane discloses a Car Pod. The car pod has a flexible skin and has a front area that hinges on a rigid tubular frame to provide an opening for the vehicle. While this patent provides a covering for a parked vehicle the overall volume of the covering remains essentially the same regardless of the presence of a vehicle in the car pod.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,013,079 issued May 7, 1991 to Chao-Chuan Ho discloses a Telescopically-Operated Vehicle Canopy. The telescopically-operated vehicle canopy has a flexible covering on a plurality of tubular ribs. The ribs all pivot from a central axis to create a half-circular shell. While this provides a covering for a vehicle, the soft shell provides a high shell with additional volume above the vehicle.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,044,132 issued Sep. 3, 1991 to John T. Marman discloses a Vehicle Protective Cover Assembly. The cover assembly provides a vehicle shelter with a lifting mechanism that lifts the entire enclosure at the front of the vehicle so the vehicle can drive under the cover. The cover can then be lowered over the parked vehicle. While this patent discloses a vehicle cover, the cover has the same volume regardless of the presence of the vehicle and further requires a clearance above the vehicle to clear the open cover.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,516,822 issued on Feb. 11, 2003 to John E. Schlier discloses a Portable Canopy for use with Motor Vehicles. The vehicle canopy is a trapezoidal skin over a tubular frame and provides an opening at one end for a vehicle to enter. While this patent is a vehicle cover, the cover requires essentially the same volume regardless of the vehicle being parked under the cover or absent.
What is needed is a vehicle cover that has overlapping rigid sections that are retracted or deployed to cover a vehicle. The proposed retractable vehicle cover provides the solution with vehicle cover that can be placed in an outside area and can be quickly deployed to cover a vehicle to provide protection.